Mormon Doctrine, 2nd Ed.
By Bruce R. McConkie
Synopsis: The seminal encyclopedic work on all matters pertaining to the Gospel, by the one of the finest scriptorians the Church has ever produced. Written while Elder McConkie was a seventy, it has endured as one of the most referenced and best-loved works of literature of any General Authority.
Strong Points: This book is truly marvelous. In fact, it is a great masterpiece. Comprehensive in its scope and treatment, impressive in its depth of knowledge and understanding, and refreshing for its clarity, it is easy to see the reason for the popularity of the book. While of course some of the material in the book represents the author's well-considered personal opinion, on the whole the book is highly accurate to the teachings of the Church and the message of the scriptures. It is so scripturally sound, in fact, that I have long thought that those who have a problem with this book (and there are those liberal Mormons who hate it passionately) really actually have a problem with the Gospel itself. This book should be an integral part of every Latter-day Saint's Gospel library.
Weak Points: There are some entries in the book that do not pertain to Mormonism, but rather to Catholicism; and then the entry merely explains the Catholic doctrine, sometimes with little or no commentary. It would seem appropriate to me for such entries to always explain why the doctrine is false in the context of the true Gospel. Also, while the book is very comprehensive, I think that an entry for Freemasonry was called for but was unfortunately overlooked.
Interesting: 5/5
Must Read: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Selected Quote: "Since the Latter-day Saints believe the Book of Mormon - a volume which contains the fulness of the gospel, the same gospel which is in the Bible - they do not recoil from the designation of their views as Mormonism. Rather they take every honorable opportunity to herald these views to the world, for they are the pure, unadulterated Christianity of old. Mormonism is Christianity; Christianity is Mormonism; they are one and the same, and they are not to be distinguished from each other in the minutest detail." (p. 512-513).